The FIA has given Bahrain’s motor federation a new deadline of May 1 to tell
it if a grand prix can be held in the country this year.

Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One’s chief executive, suggested last week that a decision would be made at Tuesday’s World Motor Sport Council meeting as it needed to be signed off.

However, in a statement sure to generate further accusations of a lack of leadership, the sport’s governing body not only delayed the final call but failed to clarify when a postponed race might be held in an already-congested calendar.

A date of Nov 20 is considered most likely; 'back-to-back' with Abu Dhabi on Nov 13.

But that might necessitate moving the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix back by a week to Dec 4, which would coincide with the climax of the Brazilian football season.

Consequently, there are thousands of interested parties – from F1 fans and personnel to Brazilian broadcasters – in a state of limbo.

There are good reasons why F1’s powers are keen to see the race happen. The Bahrain Grand Prix is worth about $40 million to the coffers of Formula One Management, and by extension to the teams and other stakeholders with whom revenues are split at the end of the year.

Ecclestone has told Telegraph Sport that FOM will forego the entire fee if Bahrain is unable to stage its race due to ongoing civil unrest.

The latest delay is understandable given the state of play in Bahrain where anti-government protesters continue to demand reform.

But it will do nothing to alter the perception that the whole affair has been handled messily, with conflicting messages emanating from Ecclestone’s office.

The 80 year-old briefly said the race might happen during August’s midseason break but then ruled that out due to soaring temperatures.

Nor will it alleviate criticism of the FIA which has been silent throughout virtually the whole saga; notably when the protests in the island kingdom grew bloody and calls for the race to be cancelled rose to a deafening shrill.

The relationship with Bahrain is a particularly sensitive one for FIA president Jean Todt. Sheikh Abdullah bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the president of the Bahrain Motor Federation, is a FIA World Council member and played a key role in Todt’s election in 2008.

Bahrain’s crown prince is also a shareholder in Nicolas Todt’s — Jean Todt’s son’s — ART Grand Prix team. Within the paddock Bahrain has a stake in McLaren.

Its sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat owns 42 per cent of the McLaren Group and 50 per cent of McLaren Automotive, the company’s road car division.

Meanwhile, the FIA also announced on Tuesday that its circuit commission will look into whether Formula One tracks can be modified to encourage more overtaking.

Todt hinted that such a move was on the cards after expressing his displeasure at the difficulty drivers faced in overtaking during the season finale in Abu Dhabi last year where the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso was unable to pass Renault’s Vitaly Petrov despite numerous attempts.

Finally, the FIA has announced plans for additional tyre testing in Friday practice at grands prix.

Teams will now have access to four extra sets of development tyres (two for each driver) of a different specification to the compounds specified for that race weekend.

It means that Fridays will see more action than previously thought, but it will also mean that fans must keep a close eye on what tyres teams are running at every moment or they could a distorted picture going into the weekend.

A quick lap could be set with a set of tyres which can’t be used during qualifying or the race.